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Friend,
this is your weekly update on the latest news from Washington state. Make sure to forward this to someone you think should be informed!
APPEAL FROM OUR PRESIDENT

I hope you’ve found Washington Policy Center’s weekly updates and videos from Paul Guppy, Todd Myers, David Boze and our the rest of our team informative and useful in 2025. With the recent addition of Budget & Tax Director Ryan Frost, you’ll see and hear more than ever from WPC in 2026 about building better policies and stopping bad ones before they become law.

And make no mistake, the majority in Olympia is already raising its familiar “tax the rich” banner higher, despite record spending, broken promises and no measurable results for families, employers or students. And if 2025 has shown us anything, our state government’s true motto today is “tax everyone.”

Times are tough in our state, but that’s when Washingtonians need WPC most. We can fix the growing problems being created by progressive programs that only grow the government sector. As a nonprofit, we sell nothing. Our unrivaled research and recommendations are free to everyone. We accept no money from the government. It’s people like you who make our work possible.

Whether it’s $26, $260 or $2,600, your year-end gift will go directly to our work to prevent the income tax the majority is seeking in Olympia starting January 12^th. Imagine how much that will cost you…and how much it will cost Washington’s economy and its future.

Your contribution to and investment in WPC ([link removed]) will help determine whether Washington continues down a path of higher taxes and lower opportunity or chooses a smarter, freer future. Thank you for your consideration, and if you already contributed in 2025, thank you for your support.

Steven Hatting
President & CEO
Washington Policy Center


** ACCOUNTABILITY
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** Washington Talks Floods but Spends Climate Money Elsewhere
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As flooding hit Western Washington, some argued that the record flooding was evidence of climate change and the need for more state spending to prevent similar events in the future.

However, Washington's Climate Commitment Act funding does not prioritize flood prevention and relief, and instead devotes more money to things like "bicycle education" for elementary school students.
Read More ([link removed])


** AFFORDABILITY
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** More Problems from Paying Workers to Strike: Potential Double-dipping and Overpayments
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The misguided expansion of the Unemployment Insurance Fund for striking workers now faces a serious, but preventable problem: double-dipping and overpayments. Many recent strikes have lasted long enough to qualify for the new payments allowed from the Unemployment Insurance Fund, and the final negotiated terms often include back pay. Under current ESD procedures, workers applying for unemployment benefits will not be informed at the point of application that if they later receive back pay, any UI benefits collected during the strike become an overpayment that must be repaid.
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** OPPORTUNITY
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** TAKE ACTION:
TELL LAWMAKERS AND THE GOVERNOR TO OPPOSE NEW TAXES
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Automatically email a "No New Taxes" message to the governor, your state senator and your state representatives using the form on WPC's TAKE ACTION page. Fill out the form and your state legislative delegation is automatically identified for you. Edit the draft email to reflect your voice and point of view, then click send and your message will be delivered to your legislators and the governor.

In 2025, lawmakers passed the biggest tax increase in state history, but lawmakers are already talking about adding more. Meanwhile, Washington state’s business tax climate has deteriorated significantly, falling from 6th best in 2014 to 5th worst in 2025. And with taxpayers leaving the state at a rate of one every 30 minutes, we can't afford to keep the pattern of reckless spending going!
Visit the Take Action page today ([link removed]) and urge your friends to do the same!
TAKE ACTION ([link removed])


** THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
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Long-Term-Care Financing: Some Good Changes to WA Cares, New Area of Recommendation Needed
By Elizabeth New
The WA Cares Fund is not likely to solve the problem with Medicaid long-term-care demand.
READ MORE ([link removed])

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More Taxes are Sadly the Washington State Way
By Elizabeth New
Washington's health care providers will be burdened even further by tax proposals this legislative session.
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** HOW MANY HAVE YOU SHARED?
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How many people you know would guess that Washington ranks 45th -- near the bottom -- for business taxes? Or that our state operating budget increased almost 49 percent (AFTER adjusting for inflation and population control) since the 2012-2015 budget? The legislative session is coming up quickly. To make informed decisions about how to best govern our state, we must acknowledge where we are. WPC's Report Card for Washington's Future gives you the data you need to cut through rhetoric and see where our state needs course correction.

GET THE FACTS ([link removed])


** FEATURED VIDEO
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Here's Why Katie Wilson's Socialism Won't Work
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As mayor-elect Wilson is set to take office in January, Seattle will be facing new challenges under the leadership of someone who sees government as a panacea to society's woes. Vice President for Research Todd Myers explains why her ideology will inevitably let Seattle down.
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